The invention relates to railroad cars, especially the car coupling mechanisms used to join adjacent railroad cars together to form a train. More particularly, the invention relates to an improvement in a slackless, resilient cushioning car coupling mechanism which is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,548 which discloses a unique, slackless, resilient drawbar connector or coupling mechanism which is positioned within the attached housings of a striker and carsill which, in turn, are secured to the underside of a railroad car at each of the opposing ends of the car.
The car coupling drawbar mechanism of this patent comprises, I) a yoke which is positioned between a pair of front stops carried by the striker and a pair of rear stops carried by the carsill, II) a resilient load cushioning device disposed within the yoke for cushioning loads which impact the drawbar, and III) a wedging device disposed in the yoke, in tandem, with the load cushioning device to take up any slack caused by worn parts within the yoke, to insure that the front follower stays in compressive seated relation with the butt end of the drawbar.
The car coupling mechanism of this patent performs well and does a fine job of absorbing impact loads and eliminating slack which develops within the yoke, but nothing is provided to take up any slack which develops between the yoke and the stops carried by the striker and carsill. The invention is designed to eliminate or substantially reduce any such undesirable slack which may develop between the yoke and the front and rear stops of the striker and carsill.
Briefly stated, the invention is in a railroad car coupling mechanism which essentially comprises, a) a yoke disposed longitudinally between front stops on the striker and rear stops on the carsill attached to the underside of a railroad car at each of the opposing ends of the car, the yoke being in contact with the front stops, b) at least one resilient cushioning device disposed within the yoke for cushioning loads impacting a coupler shank to which the yoke is pinned, c) at least one wedging device disposed within the yoke, in tandem, with the cushioning device for taking up slack which develops between worn parts within the yoke, and d) means disposed outside the yoke between the yoke and rear stops for taking up slack which develops between the yoke and the front and rear stops of the striker and carsill.
Also described is a second, resilient cushioning device which can be positioned outside or inside the yoke to help absorb loads impacting the car coupling mechanism of the invention.